Walter Finch
CLASHES broke out between police and far-right supporters over the controversial exhumation of Falange founder José Antonio Primo de Rivera.
The remains of the father of fascism in Spain were removed from the Cuelgamuros Valley basilica this morning as part of the government’s initiative to eradicate symbols of fascism.
They were taken to Madrid’s San Isidro cemetery where the hearse was greeted by protests from around 200 supporters.
A line of police were forced to hold them back outside the cemetery as they made Nazi salutes and chanted fascistic slogans, including ‘fatherland, justice, revolution! and ‘up Spain!’
So far there have been three arrests and a further five people have been identified by the police.
This marks the fourth burial for Primo de Rivera, who was arrested in March 1936 and executed in Alicante when the military uprising that sparked the Civil War erupted.
The exhumation of Primo de Rivera is part of the Spanish government’s ongoing efforts to prevent the glorification of the fascist regime and the Civil War victory.
Primo de Rivera was the son of dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera, who ruled Spain from 1923 to 1930.
In 2019, Franco’s remains were removed from the same site – also known as the ‘Franco mausoleum’ – causing outrage among far-right activists who still uphold his memory.
The basilica is situated by a rock face that is topped by a giant cross, which dominates the surrounding landscape.
The Franco mausoleum has long been a controversial issue for Spain, with anti-fascist Republican prisoners forced to build the memorial.
The left-wing government hopes to convert the site into a memorial honouring all of the victims of the war, including the leftist Republicans who were buried in unmarked mass graves, and many of their relatives are still searching for them.
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